Naomily: An Epilogue
by saverockandroll
Summary: Set immediately after the events of Skins: Fire, Naomi's condition continues to get worse, and Emily tries to deal with the possibility of losing her soulmate.
1. Chapter 1

"Em." Naomi said. Her voice was weak and hoarse, but her diamond blue eyes shone brighter than ever. She sat up as much as her aching bones would allow, unsure if Emily was still angry with her or not. It was the first time the couple had laid eyes on each other since Effy broke the news, and the sight of tears staining Emily's cheeks wasn't promising. Naomi wanted to do it herself, to tell her girlfriend that she had cancer and would probably die from it, but she had just been waiting for the right time. Over the last few weeks she had come to realise that there would probably never be a right time, and to tell Emily would be to accept that things were not going to get better, so in the end she gave up and let Effy do the talking. Emily's job in New York was important, but they were Naomi and Emily, and nothing would get in their way.

"Naoms, you're so stupid." Emily said, choking back even more tears as she climbed into bed with Naomi.

"I know… I know."

They lay together in silence for what felt like a lifetime. Neither of them were used to laying still that long, and normally Naomi would have gone for a cigarette or Emily would have gone for a walk, but they were so desperate and hopeful and hopeless that letting go of each other was not an option. As Emily wriggled into a comfortable position, her arm brushed across Naomi's forehead, and the redhead's mouth dropped in fear.

"Naomi, you're fucking boiling! That's not normal, is it?" Emily pressed her hand to her own forehead, to confirm that it was definitely _not _normal, and pulled the long red emergency cord next to Naomi's bed.

"No… I'm fine, honestly…" Naomi protested, her weak fingers grasping Emily's arm.

"Your head is on _fire_, Naoms, you need to cool down."

As she spoke, two nurses rushed into Naomi's private room. They didn't need to be told what was wrong – it had happened several times before. Emily moved across the room, giving them space to work, and the nurses propped Naomi up with her pillows. One nurse, a tall, blonde woman, moved quickly, administering more painkillers, whilst the other woman grabbed a bucket from under the bed just in time for Naomi to bring up her lunch. The blonde nurse beckoned Emily forward, letting her sit next to Naomi. They sat for a while, Emily gently rubbing her girlfriend's back and feeding her sips of water.

"You're going to be okay," She said, her voice soft and soothing, and everything seemed to be calming down until Naomi started being sick all over again, more violently than last time – more nurses crowded into the room, and although no one wanted to do it, they reluctantly asked Emily to leave. As soon as she was out in the corridor her breathing stopped. What was she going to do? All those years of fighting for their relationship and the war coming to an end, but it wasn't going to be a happy one. She couldn't bear the thought of not having Naomi in her life, and soon it was going to be a reality. Emily stopped, sinking down to the floor, and burst out in tears. She doubted that Naomi would be able to hear her, but she still clasped her hand around her mouth as if she had shouted out her darkest secret. She needed to get away. Not far, just away from the sterile white walls and stingy hospital smell. Guilt burned at the back of her mind, but she ran anyway. Down corridor after corridor, almost crashing into a food trolley, and out the first exit she came across. The fresh air hit her like a hurricane, clearing her mind and calming her down. She didn't dare go any further than the hospital car park, not wanting to be too far from Naomi, but being in the open air was enough. She lit a cigarette, something she had been trying to cut down on, and sat down, trying to make it last as long as possible. Eventually she could breathe without holding back choked sobs, and thought it was probably time to go back to Naomi.

It took her twice as long to navigate the maze of hallways she had encountered on her way out, unable to remember the way she came in her panicked frenzy. Eventually she found the right room – the nurses were gone and Naomi was sleeping soundly, but waiting outside the room was a tall, official-looking man with a name badge. A doctor, apparently.

"Emily Fitch?" The man said, glancing to Emily as she approached him.

"Yeah… that's me."

"Good. Miss Fitch, my name is Dr Elliot, I understand it that you're Miss Campbell's partner?" Emily could only nod her head, anxiously anticipating whatever was coming next.

"If you'd like to follow me to my office, we can talk privately." He said kindly. She agreed, and they walked the short distance together in silence, with Emily trailing after him slightly.

They entered the pristine office; Dr Elliot closed the door behind them and offered Emily a drink, which she politely declined. They both sat in the plush leather chairs, taking in the atmosphere in a silence that was both awkward and comfortable.

"Miss Fitch… Emily," Dr Elliot, whose first name was Dean, according to the plaque on his desk, said, "I presume you're aware of the severity of Naomi's condition."

Emily nodded, ignoring the burning in her throat and soreness behind her eyes. She would not cry any more tears today, she vowed.

"At this stage… it is our policy, and the policy of many other hospitals, to inform you of the option to take Naomi home. To… as you would say… make her comfortable. We would, of course, confer with her mother before any action was taken, but as her partner your opinion is one of great importance." Dean's kind eyes looked sympathetically at Emily, and watched her trying to keep her cool for the billionth time that day.

"You mean… you want her to come home so she can die?"

"We would never stop treating a patient if we felt there was still a chance of a recovery. In Naomi's case, every treatment we've given her has been virtually ineffective. We would provide a regular course of medicine to ease her pain, but at this stage we feel that keeping her in hospital would only add to her stress."

"You didn't answer my question." Emily said, frustrated.

"Yes. Speaking harshly, yes. She would be going home to die, but as I said, it's in her best interests. It would be in the most comfortable environment possible, and she would be surrounded by the people she loves. Like you."

Emily nodded, words failing her, and stood up. She uttered a polite 'thank you' and left the room. _No more tears, _she reminded herself fifty times over. _Don't you fucking cry. _It was harder than it seemed, but Emily had grown stronger over the last few years, and she kept her cool. She made her way back to Naomi's room to find Naomi's mother sat on her daughter's bedside, gently stroking her hair, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hello." Emily said as she made her way into the room.

"Emily, dear," Gina said, quickly wiping her tears away with her wool sleeve. "Naomi wondered where you were."

"Sorry, the doctor wanted to talk to me."

"About what?" Naomi said, opening her eyes to briefly glance at Emily.

"Well," Emily said, taking a deep breath before sitting next to Naomi, "Naoms, I'm taking you home."


	2. Chapter 2

The door creaked as it opened, something Naomi was supposed to fix.

"Here we are, this old dump." Naomi said, although everyone knew she was happy to be back. The high-rise apartment Effy had bought had been repossessed after her arrest, leaving Naomi to move back into their old place. She didn't mind. She hated the cold and unwelcoming feel the new apartment gave her, and she knew that in a place like that she could never really be home. Emily wheeled her girlfriend inside, closing the door behind her and stopping to take in her surroundings. It smelled of Naomi in an unexplainable way, even the odour of Effy's pungent perfumes had seemingly disappeared. It was nice, she thought.

"This is home." Emily said, wheeling Naomi to the sofa and gently helping her sit down. Naomi sighed, tired in every way possible, and let Emily wrap her arms around her.

"What are you going to do, Em?" She said.

Emily ran her fingers through Naomi's brittle hair.

"We're going to get you better, and then maybe we could have a change of scenery."

"America?"

"Anywhere you want. America was fun, but I'm not going back there without you."

"Don't say that, Em," Naomi sighed, "America was the best job you ever had. I won't last forever, and you should go back."

"Shh." Emily said, just as she did every time Naomi referred to her illness.

"You can't pretend forever. I tried pretending everything was going to be fine, and for a while I really believed it, but we both know why they let me come home. If you don't accept it soon, I'm going to die and it'll be ten times worse because you won't be ready."

"Ready? How could I ever be ready? You can't ask me to sit down and say, _'Okay, this is what's going to happen and I'm just going to accept it'. _That's not what we do, Naoms. We fight."

Naomi smiled. Only for a moment, but Emily saw it. And then they were both smiling.

"Can I ask you something… something quite selfish?" Naomi said after a brief silence.

"Anything you want." Emily said, holding her girlfriend tighter. Naomi cleared her throat and sat up on the sofa. She was sweating, but Emily couldn't tell if it was nerves or the illness.

"Marry me, Em?"

Emily froze. She had always thought she would marry Naomi one day. The longer they were together, the more she thought about it. Planning details in her head; colours, places, music. It would be amazing. But Naomi was going to die; no one was certain how much time she had left. Could she handle becoming a widow so soon after her wedding? She didn't know.

"We might not last as long as Kim Kardashian's marriage, but…" Emily was crying now, listening to Naomi talk, "… well, you're the only person I've ever loved. I know it's selfish of me to ask, but you're all I ever wanted. I might not be able to travel the world… but if I could marry you, that'd be better."

"Yes. Let's do it." Emily said, smiling through her tears. She was both happy and sad, but as she kissed Naomi, she almost forgot about her sadness for the smallest of moments. She was so happy they were going to get married, however short-lived it would be.

"I don't have a ring… I'll get one, I promise. But for now," Naomi reached behind her neck, taking off a gold necklace and holding it between the two, "This is the necklace I was wearing when we first kissed. I didn't expect to remember that all these years later, but I guess I just kept it. This is the first time I've taken it off since you went to America. But I want you to have it." Emily turned round on the sofa, crying harder, and let Naomi put the necklace on her. She placed her fingers over the heart at the end of the gold chain, vowing to keep it forever.

"It's beautiful." She said, turning back around to face Naomi. They kissed again – a deep and sincere kiss, the type of kiss that cannot be replicated. It lasted for a while; normally they would have moved to the bedroom, but Naomi was too weak, so they stayed on the sofa, Emily wearing the necklace and Naomi's arms around her.

"How are we going to do it, then?" Emily finally asked.

"Hmm. It'll have to be close. We'll find a nice park or something, lots of trees and maybe a bandstand. Find a vicar that'll do it on short notice. It doesn't have to be big."

"When shall we do it?"

"This weekend. It's not exactly like we have months to plan, so the sooner the better, I guess." Emily nodded.

It was true, the sooner the better. A smile slowly crept back onto Emily's face. She was still sad, of course, but she was finally going to marry her first and only love. Long after Naomi had fallen asleep on the sofa she was up, her laptop resting on her legs, searching the internet for dresses. There were so many different ones to choose from, it almost gave her a headache. She looked for rings too, and cakes and bridesmaids dresses. She knew that she couldn't have a big wedding, but it was still fun. The last couple of weeks had been horrible for everyone, Emily, Naomi, Effy, and everyone they loved. It was time for a bit of happiness, a bit of celebration before they were forced back into reality.  
Emily liked the idea of being married in a park – the last thing Naomi needed was to be in another stuffy building on her wedding day. They would be surrounded by trees and fresh air, and it would be beautiful. In the dull light of her laptop screen, Emily's fingers tightened around the heart dangling from her new necklace. After a few moments she heard a soft click, and realised the necklace was really a locket. She stood up, walked out into the hallway, and opened the locket. She was surprised to see her seventeen-year old self, smiling up at her from the left side of the locket. On the right was Naomi, seventeen and blonde and healthy as ever. She remembered the day the pictures were taken; the day they rode on their bikes to the pond, the day they first had sex. She had to fight to keep the tears in once more – she thought she would have cried herself dry by now, but apparently not. She closed the locket again, ready to put it back around her neck, when she noticed something on the large, mounted mirror. They were words, written with red lipstick. Emily stopped, the locket in her hands, and read out loud.

"_The world means nothing when I have you here. I love you, always."_


	3. Chapter 3

It was a Sunday morning, the sun shone down through the trees and the bright rays lingered on Emily's face. Naomi lay, watching her girlfriend silently, tracing the outline of her lips with her fingers. It had been only two days since Naomi asked Emily to marry her, but all of the preparations had been made and the wedding was only hours away. Naomi couldn't do anything herself, but Emily, Katie and their mother had been rushing about to bakers and florists, booking as much as they possibly could in time for the weekend. It would only be a small wedding with twenty guests, but Emily had contacted as many of their old friends as possible, and Naomi couldn't wait to see them.

"Morning," Emily said, her eyelids fluttering open, "we're getting married today."

"I don't think we're supposed to see each other before the wedding."

"I don't care," Emily wrapped her arms around her fiancée, planting a passionate kiss on her lips. "How are you feeling?"

Naomi groaned, turning flat on her back, "Like shit. But I'm not going to let that get to me today. Your mum's going to be here soon, you have to go and get ready at her house."

"Why can't I just change here? Who's going to stay with you?"

"Tradition. Anyway, Katie said she'd stay with me." Naomi smiled, though they both knew her relationship with Katie had never been particularly strong. Emily raised her brow, but decided not to argue. Not today. They lay for a few moments, arms wrapped around each other, before a loud knock on the door rang through the apartment. Emily rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"My family don't know how to be quiet." She said, rolling out of bed and walking to the front door. Naomi couldn't really make out any of the words, but there was a lot of fussing and hugging as Jenna and Katie Fitch entered the apartment. Naomi hadn't seen them in a while, and she knew they would be shocked at the state she was in. Even so, Katie had promised to make Naomi beautiful. And if there was one thing Katie was good at, it was making people look beautiful. Jenna entered the room first, followed by Katie. Neither of them said anything about the fact Naomi's hair comprised of a few wispy strands here and there, or how her cheekbones pierced her fragile skin. Katie rushed over to the partially-closed curtains and yanked them open.

"I _love _the curtains. You'll have to tell me where you got them!" Katie chirped. Naomi knew she was just trying to steer the conversation away from anything cancer-related, but she was grateful all the same. Emily offered to make them all tea, but the wedding was in two hours and Jenna insisted that everyone needed to get ready. Katie helped Naomi out of bed and into the chair where she would get her make-over, and Emily kneeled at her side.

"See you in a bit." She said softly.

Naomi smiled, her eyes focused on the mirror. Emily kissed her lover's cheek before standing and making her way to the hallway. Naomi heard the soft click of the front door, and Katie got straight to work.

Naomi had never seen so many brushes and powders and creams in her entire life. She'd thought the big case Katie was carrying had her bridesmaid's dress inside, but it turned out to be filled with make -up and other beauty products.

"Are you ready for the wig?" Katie said excitedly.

"What?"

Katie unzipped a secret apartment of the make-up case and gently pulled out a long, brown wig. She held it up on her hand for Naomi to see in all of its glory, grinning from ear to ear.

"Naoms, this wig is gonna' look _bad ass._ And no offence honey, really, but there's not really much we can do with the hair you have now."

Naomi sighed. She never thought she'd say it, but Katie was right. She sat; facing the mirror, as Katie carefully fitted the wig onto her head. She couldn't believe how real it looked – it were as if she'd never lost her hair in the first place. Katie grinned and hugged Naomi from behind.

"You look fantastic already! It can only get better from here, honey."

Looking in the mirror, seeing herself with hair for the first time in months, Naomi could almost forget about her cancer for the smallest of moments. The day was perfect already, and it would only get better. Naomi sat with her eyes closed as Katie covered her face in foundation, blush, mascara and twenty other things that she couldn't name. She went through three cups of tea by the time the make-up was finished, and another tray of biscuits by the time her hair was done. She closed her eyes a final time while Katie put the last few strands into place.

"Okay, open!"

Naomi opened her eyes and gasped. She looked gorgeous – better than she ever could have imagined. Her lips were a soft pink, her eyes golden and her skin porcelain. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at her hair, real as it would ever be, falling gently in ringlets past her shoulders and gracefully framing her face. She jumped up from the chair using all the energy she could and threw her arms around Katie.

"Thank you so much, Katie," she said, pulling back from the hug and looking her sister-in-law in the eyes. Katie smiled, wiping back a tear of her own before quickly composing herself.

"Don't cry, you'll ruin your make-up." Katie smiled, and Naomi laughed.

The girls went into separate rooms to put on their dresses – Katie's was a knee-length sunset orange number with white embroidery and white heels, whereas Naomi's was an intricate fishtail dress with diamond studs that made Katie squeal with jealousy.

The time was a quarter to twelve, which gave them only forty-five minutes until the wedding was due to start. Katie had received a text that most of the guests had arrived, and the weather outside was perfect. A black BMW was waiting outside the flat for the two of them, ready to take them to the park Naomi would be married in. As she sat in the car clutching her orange and white flowers she stared out the window, thinking how she could never repay Emily, Katie and Jenna for the work they had done to organize the wedding in only a few days. It was a miracle, she thought, and she didn't care how many days she had left as long as she could spend them married to Emily. The car ride took longer than expected, partly because of the London traffic but partly because Katie wouldn't stop talking, and Naomi wasn't sure what about. Finally the car pulled up next to the park's elegant golden gates and Naomi's stomach turned. _Don't throw up._ She thought. _Not on your wedding day._ She stared out the window, the large white reception tent just in her view. It was the most terrifying thing she had ever done, scarier than dying, but she knew that she wanted it, and she was ready.

Katie placed her hand comfortingly on top of Naomi's, and the two exchanged a nervous look.

"Alright, Naoms. Let's get you married."


End file.
